OOOLD SCHOOOOL

[EdgarTheSlouch]

** The whole deal regarding Mr Perfect's teased comeback is fucking awful timing on the heels of the Razor/Diesel debacle and the retracted promise of Bret for Mind Games as it's more shameless bait and switch. It actually makes me angry watching not only the build for his match with Hunter that never happened but him getting in the faces of Austin and later Goldust, none of which led to anything. While we're hovering around the subject, It's really awkward watching JR talk about him bringing Bret Hart to Fort Wayne for Raw. I remember thinking "Yeah, but will it really be Bret Hart, or some new goon dressed like him??" Ross' credible is up shit creek here, after all.

 

Was always a bit letdown when HHH/Perfect hooked up in rumble 2002,they never referenced this.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Was always a bit letdown when HHH/Perfect hooked up in rumble 2002,they never referenced this.

Why would they? Nobody would have remembered that.

[EdgarTheSlouch]

Was always a bit letdown when HHH/Perfect hooked up in rumble 2002,they never referenced this.

Why would they? Nobody would have remembered that.

 

It was only 6 years tho. Haku had been away for 7/8 years when he came back at a rumble.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Haku worked for WWE for about 7 years in the WWF. People are going to remember him. I doubt anyone remembered that small angle they did in 96 that never went anywhere. 1996-2002 was like decades. So much went on and so many different fans jumped on board.

[air_raid]

Was always a bit letdown when HHH/Perfect hooked up in rumble 2002,they never referenced this.

 

I thought the two of them fighting each other was self-referential enough. For a nerd like me who did remember their teased feud and brief association, I was able to nod appreciatively and say "there's history there" to myself, without the need for the commentators to bleat about it.

 

 

Might as well wrap up my 1996 thoughts before I head down South.....

 

** The black and white Survivors vignettes - especially Austin's - are fucking brilliant. The venom with which Austin accuses Bret of not being able to cope with losing to the "Boy Toy" is admirable, building right up to the one that airs on the night. "Did you sleep well last night, Bret? WAKE UP, BRET."

 

** Classic line from the King spotting a little girl in HBK attire : "Now I know why animals eat their young."

 

** Another one from the "You're a cunt, Vince" file - on Harts vs Shawn & Sid : "I'm predicting (that) the tag team title's gonna change right here tonight." Cheers, mate.

 

** Come Survivor Series, it's a bit crap how well Vince and JR are getting on so soon after Ross' meltdown at Buried Alive.

 

** Furnas & LaFon come out with their boring names, boring music, boring outfits and walk in a boring manner to the ring to near silence. Is it any wonder these guys didn't get over? Shame, because they execute cracking moves expertly, which gets over with the MSG crowd in the context of the match, but in the long run, they were dead in the water.

 

** I don't have many interesting thoughts about Undertaker vs Mankind but it's a really good match, probably gets forgotten in comparison to the Boiler Room Brawl. I was also gutted that Taker dropped the more interesting faux leather look and weird haircut. Compare him here to at the Rumble '97 - by the latter his garb looks pretty dull. Here, he's completely transformed.

 

** You hear Hunter shout "give him a tilt-a-whirl" to Crush as he leaves the ring with Mero in the grasp of Crush's bearhug, but Big Bri being the ring general of the team ignores his captain and does two normal backbreakers and a legdrop before tagging out to Goldust. Hell, don't work harder than you need to, right? "Don't tell me what to do son, I used to be in Demolition, what have you done??"

 

** The verbal burial Sunny gives Sable on commentary is pretty severe in terms of how often she slags her off, laughably cracking about "those things she has implanted are flammable" among other remarks and encouraging Crush to attack her (which obviously doesn't happen). She also shocks me by referring to the "abdominal obliques" during a hold, demonstrating knowledge I didn't know she had. It's actually quite sweet the way she changes from cheering the heel team to cheering for Rocky at the end just because he's made her leave a snail trail. We'd all do the same. Cute line : "Oh my God, I feel my name should be Adrian!"

 

** The Bret vs Austin match has had a whole lot written about it already..... but here's some more. Going into the match I genuinely thought they'd done a great job with Austin but ultimately I still thought of it as "Hitman returns to silence angry mid-carder." What actually emerges is a sterling job by all concerned - Bret, Austin and Vince & JR commentating - to portray the two as near enough equals, in terms of wrestling skills, toughness and stature. Bret has to work really hard and come back from multiple damaging situations to keep up with Steve Austin, in his prime. Kind of goes back to what I was talking about with the Vader/Razor match - Stone Cold is allowed to look an absolute warrior - as well as great wrestler - until Bret eventually beats him. Austin gets beaten, but he's built up amazingly to look like someone really worth beating. As JR puts it, "Austin is a whole lot more than a schoolyard bully."

 

It's also the archetypal Bret Hart "classic" - yes, he performs the "six moves of doom" (fucking hell, I hate that) but he certainly doesn't perform them in sequence like a '93 phoned in Coliseum exclusive. He also uses funky roll ups, a piledriver and pretty much anything he can think of. As ever, Bret gets to show that he's tough as nails - not brawling tough, but endurance tough. He survives the Stunner and keeps on ticking. What you end up with is one of those matches that acheives everything you could ask for - Hitman as the victor gets one of his most impressive wins to date at this point given the tenacity of his enemy, and Austin comes out looking stronger in defeat, having pushed a company legend and one of only two 3-time WWF Champions at this point to his absolute limit and looked his equal. That he DIDN'T beat Bret Hart is almost irrelevant at this point - he proved he COULD beat Bret Hart, as far as I'm concerned.

 

The match is superbly called from start to finish, Vince manages to largely keep out of the way of some of JR's great work, and right before the finish both men do their utmost to put over BOTH wrestlers.

 

JR : "This is anybody's match. Anybody's match."

Vince : "What a competitor (Austin). The Hitman Bret Hart has met his match JR."

JR : "Absolutely. I don't know.... I don't know what you've got to do to beat this man (Bret)."

 

Bret says rather unfairly in his book that he thinks JR and Vince were trying to subtly tear him down with the mentions of ring rust but I thought that added a note of realism. Would you expect a man to come back and immediately be his old self, keeping up with a younger guy who had been working a hectic schedule? No chance. In addition when talking about Hitman's resulting title shot at the WWF Champion at the next In Your House, Jim Ross gives him a glowing review :

 

"I don't think either Shawn Michaels or Sycho Sid, in this ring, in this building, on this night, could have beaten Bret Hart."

 

 

** Next night on Raw, New Haven loves Steve Austin. Hilariously when he and Mankind are brawling up the aisle, there is a sign visible that says "FUCK" in big letters which isn't even censored on the "best of Raw" Coliseum tape. Austin clings boldly to heeldom, attacking Undertaker after he comes out to save Austin from a beating from Mankind and Executioner, then backing off when Taker gets back in the ring to face up to him. Sorry Stone Cold, they love you. Incidentally New Haven also loves Bret and Sid, so I'm happy with their taste. They also appreciate Flash Funk pulling out a Tumbleweed to pin the Goon, and so do I. And speaking of Sid, I don't care what anybody says, the belt looked great on him.

 

** Speaking of Bret - did they ever explain why Bulldog saved Bret from being Pillmanized by Stone Cold? Was it just Bulldog pissed off that Austin was interfering in Owen's match, ergo, his business? Still, fab bit of backstory for when all three Hart lads got back together.

 

** A random tag match sees Marc Mero and Jake beat Hunter and Billy Gunn when Mr Ass walks out on Trips leaving him to fall victim to the Wild Thing. Anyone would think Billy was the one that needed protecting ; there's no reason for Hunter to job here, since Sid wasn't even permitted to pin him one week later. Mero could already lay claim to a title shot having pinned Hunter at Survivors. On the same show, "The Real Double J" gets hammered by Bradshaw. All of one month back and after a decent reintroduction, Brian already knows where he is in the pecking order.

 

** Watching the undercard performances of Rocky and Flash Funk from It's Time, it reminds me of how convinced I was that Flash would go further of the two. Oops. Still, as we have much discussed in previous threads, Flash/Scorpio is one of the most poorly used talents of all time. He was/is gifted. In many ways, wink wink.

 

** During the Sid vs Bret match, there are some choice lines from Shawn on headset. His line about Sid being "the most expensive piece of luggage" in the WWF - telling the whole world Sid needed to be "carried" is well-documented. But Shawn is also a master at paying Bret what I like to call the left-handed compliment - seemingly saying something nice but ultimately putting himself over. "That's where that experience comes in. You can't beat experience. Well, I can." Later on he goes on the full-blown warpath : "There it is. There's the role model folks, using a chair."

 

** Sid's punches look like they'd kill you. He uses his whole upper body to deliver a blow.

 

** The collision between Bret and Shawn on the apron looks utterly full-on, and I buy completely that it stuns Bret enough to leave him vulnerable to the match-winning powerbomb. JR enters full-on hyperbole mode : "Sycho Sid has powerbombed his way perhaps to immortality." Errr..... OK.

 

** Next night on Raw Bret says "Never ruin an apology with an excuse" and procedes to offer an excuse (Shawn's interference) for his loss to Sid. Weak. JR's nodding along and mouthing "that's right" when Bret is saying there is "no good reason" that he isn't the WWF Champion (the night after It's Time) and nodding in agreement when Hitman says Shawn can't take that "he's not as good as I am" is brilliant shameless cheerleading. Everyone talks about JR bellowing for "STONE COLD! STONE COLD!" but he loved Bret first. Vince says to Bret "You sound just like Shawn Michaels... and don't hit me for saying it." Man up, Vince! Austin ends up default babyface (again) in this match with Vader and his firery fists in the corner get big noise from the crowd - then Bret attacks Austin for the non-finish. I'm starting to see why the fans turned on Bret. They wanted to cheer for Austin and Bret kept getting in the way.

 

** It's very weird watching the Smoking Gunns' "wives" come in during the "Billy paralyzed" ending to the Gunns' big grudge match, considering they had been intimating that Billy & Sunny were an item just a couple of months earlier.

 

** I had completely forgotten the angle where Stone Cold lost a handicap match to jobbers Jason Ahrndt & Eddie Jackie due to Bulldog interference on Superstars. So Joey Abs can say he pinned Stone Cold Steve Austin. That's one for the CV.

 

** The nonsense tag match of Austin & Farooq vs Savio & Double J starts exactly the way I want it to - Austin attacks Jesse from behind to stop him singing his fucking song. Later on Austin takes out Double J's knee on the outside and he's unable to continue. The match should be over then, really? I never understand why they just let a fresh Bret Hart take over - as certain sections of the Albany crowd chant "Austin!" - when it's unfair to the heels. Psychologically, it's BS. Lawler makes me chuckle though be squealing "I hope they beat Savio Vega and Bret Hart doesn't even get in the ring!" Crush interferes so the whole Nation beats up Bret for shits and giggles. Ahmed makes the save sporting daft stripey tights, a blue jacket, and massive wood, i.e. a big piece of 2x4. Albany : "Booo!"

 

** To make Bret feel better, Albany really gives Shawn some boos, screaming girls aside. New York likes Austin and Sid, they don't like Shawn. They mostly like Bret, unless he's cheap-shotting Austin or acting the bitch. The Bret/Shawn face to face is fucking brilliant TV, and as I said last time, one of my favourite interview segments ever even though it's a little truncated.

 

Shawn : "Woah, start with ME? That's Bret "the Hitman" Hart, the best there is, best there was, best there ever will be! I wouldn't think of going first, no no no, Are you kidding me? I'm not worthy to go first (bows), a lowlife degenerate like me go first? Never. I wouldn't dare think of it. Let the almighty one go first."

 

Bret : "How much time we got? You know, that right there is what I find so disrespectful about you, it's just your whole attitude."

(Bret whines about Shawn not apologizing for his interference at It's Time)

"When I was screwed out of the World Wrestling Federation Championship belt, you promised that you would carry that belt with the same pride and same class that I did, and Shawn Michaels, you never came close."

 

"When you found yourself at the bottom of the barrel, when you found yourself posing in Playgirl magazine.... you know, I don't even think GIRLS buy that magazine. Shawn Michaels, to me, you're a guy that has degraded the World Wrestling Federation Championship belt. You wanna talk about being a man's man... I don't think so. Whose man are ya? Shawn Michaels, you've cost me the World Wrestling Federation Championship belt, and for the longest time I've sat back and watched on TV and seen what you've done to the World Wrestling Federation (Shawn takes jacket off) and I look at you as a guy that has no class, you're a disgrace, and I welcome the opportnity because sooner or later, sooner or later brother, you and me are gonna step in the ring... whether there's a title on the line or not, and I can promise that you all the dancing in the world will not save you, and I will kick your ass... (Albany pops, Shawn does scaredy fingers)... and you wanna know why? You wanna know why? Because I can!"

 

At this point I was having a complete fanboi spazz. Shawn had spent the previous five weeks turning into a complete dickhead, and Bret was letting him have it. I didn't hate Shawn all that much because of him, but because he was my hero's enemy, and I still looked at him as a guy who wasn't quite the company figurehead - or the man - that Bret Hart was.

 

Shawn : "Let's start with the role model stuff because Hitman, I seen you on the road, and bro, you ain't no role model. That's fact number one, and I got a long way to go."

 

Sid marches out to interrupt (Albany chants SID! SID!) and now the seeds are truly planted for 'Mania.

 

Sid : "There's a lot being said out here, but I have played the game with you, and I have played the game with you, and you both have lost, and you're talking about MY TITLE! What I want.... what I want... is some real, some REAL competition!!!"

 

GONG.

 

Taker comes out.... but we'll never know what was going to happen because Vader attacks Taker from behind, then Michaels crotches a watching Bret with the middle rope and dives on Sid. They are separated by refs, Tony Garea, Rene Goulet, Gerry Brisco and Pat Patterson wearing a festive jumper that's just precious. All in all, superb bit of wrestling TV.

 

I did write a little bit more about Mero, Hunter and Goldust, but really, that's the ideal point to wrap up 1996. Great segment.

[air_raid]

As requested (by Ian) I have started watching 1996 WCW.

 

Before I actually start with the notes, here's how I REMEMBER 1996 Nitro in comparison - while the WWF seemed in transition from "Diesel on top" to "Shawn on top" via Bret keeping the belt warm as Shawn's story took shape, the TV was still relatively vibrant. If the WWF was in transition, WCW was in a fucking time warp. The storyline of Dungeon of Doom vs Hogan & Savage had been going on since before the beginning of Nitro and by this point felt like it had been going on since the dawn of time. Really tough to watch at times. Don't worry, I won't review everything, it will still be bullets, but I'm planning to watch every Nitro, both Clashes and as many PPVs as I have knocking around. Which is most of them.

 

I've done a month of Nitro, I'll watch the Clash, more Nitro and maybe SuperBrawl VI tomorrow. Upon a fresh rewatch (with '96 Raw fresh in my mind) - it's not quite the Nitro I remember fondest without Schiavone, Zbyszko and Tenay, never mind the nWo, crow Sting and babyface DDP, but it's a very enjoyable wrestling show and on the whole so far delivers more excitement than the corresponding episodes on Raw.

 

 

** Not for the first or last time, Bischoff bores me senseless by talking about the winners of the football games during the first match of the year - Macho Man vs Arn Anderson - but follows up with a trademark dig at Raw :

"In the uh, Raw Bowl, toilet bowl, whatever that's called, Smoking Gunns won it, forget about it, stick right here, we are live, this is where the action is!"

Sadly Mongo then ruins things somewhat by drawling "We don't even want to get into talking about the kitty cat league over there." Huh??

Bischoff revisits the theme prior to Benoit vs Regal : "Forget about that Raw Bowl, Smoking Gunns won it, it was boring to begin with."

 

** "Dresses like Hogan guy" from KOTR'93 is in the crowd in Atlanta. What a knob.

 

** Brain with a classic quick comeback when Mongo is talking about being sick of the interference.

Brain : "Well then do something about it!"

Mongo : "I might, just one of these days, and I might do it with your body in between us."

Brain : "Want me to hold your dog?"

 

** Mongo on the knux in Arn's tights : "You don't know what he was using them for down there, my friend." Huh??????

 

** The Super Assassins coming out with Col Parker in masks is daft because Barbar's face is fairly obvious, and even if you didn't reognize Warload's face through the mask, you'd recognize his snarling.

 

** Sgt Pitman coming out to ask Mongo to manage him is ludicrous, Mongo can't even manage his own thoughts.

 

** Mean Gene actually refers to the Giant as "the son of Andre the Giant" on the first Nitro of the year. I can't believe they kept that up so long. Embarrassing. At the end of Giant's perfectly coherent spiel, Gene says "I don't know what he's saying but..." - are you fucking kidding me? Wake up, dickhead.

 

** Brilliant line from new World Champion Ric Flair to the camera on his way down the aisle : "Baby.... I told the wrestling world... if I got back in the ballgame, I wouldn't just play... I'd win. Whooo!"

 

** Bischoff : "Coming up after WCW, travel to a place of myth and fantasy!.... kind of like Stamford, CT.... where unicorns and elves inhabit the land! Definitely like Stamford, CT."

 

** After the Flair v Hogan DQ finish, Hogan & Savage challenge Flair and Arn to a tag match (playah) for next week. I swear, that's not the first time they've done that. Allusions to the "secret weapons" make me perk up because I know they're talking about Liz' cans.

 

** Benoit (cold and calculated) and Pillman (unpredictable psychopath) look fucking ace together in their matching tights and Horsemen shirts. The fans love Benoit attacking Alex Wright before the bell, even though it's heelish, because Benoit's brilliant and Wright is not. Benoit's Northern Lights suplex is fucking amazing here, in fact all his execution is incredible, including the match-winning Dragon suplex. I wish he'd been in the WWF about 95-97, he was so sharp and would have amassed some stunning bouts with a selection from Bret, Owen, HBK, Kid, Marty, Bulldog, Mero, Stone Cold, Vader.... Incidentally by the end of the match the fans have been turned against Benoit by the interference of Pillman, and they boo loudly after Benoit wins. Good work.

 

** In underlining how much great free wrestling they're giving away, Bischoff says "While the other company, I think it's called Titanic Sports... is raising the price of their pay per views..." - don't stop, Uncle Eric. One of the things I love about a lot of this era of Nitro, is that they don't do much shilling for the next PPV. They occasionally mention "later tonight" but for the most part they really concentrate on the match that's happening. Eric also gives his take on the Billionaire Ted skit ever so subtly - "Often imitated... I got a kick out of that, by the way...."

 

** Bischoff : "Forget about the Royal Fumble...." that sounds like a wanking joke.

 

** Mean Gene : "(Sting & Luger) are a couple of the great stalwarts here at WCW, unlike the New Generation who just added a couple of.... well, let's just say this - they're very close to collecting Social Security." Fucking hell, always forget Gene was getting in on the act as well.

 

** DDP coming out to not Self-High Five, sans Kim, wearing shades, both chewing gum and carrying a cigar, saying "Good gawd" into the camera, you can barely believe it's the same bloke. Unfortunately on his way to the ring he mentions beating Sting for the US title - which the Stinger doesn't hold any more. In the match he executes very well and throws himself into it with gusto, but there isn't much reaction when he's on top. Just goes to underline that "being a good wrestler" is overrated, you've got to make them care. It's about telling stories, after all. Thankfully it all came together later for Page, obviously. For a bit.

 

** Kevin Sullivan tells Flair "You are probably the greatest World Champion of all times." Probably?? Fuck off. Arn cuffs Pillman for being disrespectful to Sullivan. Anderson and Sullivan do all the talking. Typical WCW to drag all the Horsemen and the Dungeon to the ring and not let Flair talk.

 

** Public Enemy v American Males truly is a contender for worst match I've ever seen. The finish especially is terribly limp. Flyboy puts Bagwell through two tables after the match which probably goes some way to make the crowd forget the truly dreadful match they just saw.

 

** Sting reversing Flair's Figure-4 into a small package makes a brilliant nearfall in their title match because all the long-time fans know that's how the Stinger beat Naitch at both Starrcade '89 and for the belt at the Great American Bash 1990.

 

** Savage : "My name is not Nick Bockwinkel. They gave me the title shot because I deserve the title shot." At first, that draws a "WTF" from me, until I remember that Bockwinkel was head of the championship committee in the storyline. I forgot, because Nick is never on TV and seldom mentioned.

 

** Savage comes out for his big title shot with Hogan, a load of girls we don't know, Woman (identified by the commentators) and Debra (not identified by the commentators, including her husband) and then Bischoff reveals that Liz (not present) will be the big surprise for the next night's Clash. What's the fucking point of telling us now, Eric?? Hoping to get a higher rating because horny guys will tune in to see if Liz measures up to the '92 memories? You really should have added "by the way she's had a boob job and lads, you definitely would." Before the match is two minutes old they've also ruined the surprise return of the reunited Road Warriors for the Clash too. Fucking hell.

 

Prior to the match, Flair tries to dance with Woman, so she slaps him. I loved Woman for her feisty side. I think at the time, I'd have preferred the slap to a dance. At the end of the match, Hogan drags Double A off the apron and starts pounding him. With Savage climbing the ropes and NO signal from ref Randy Anderson, the time-keeper goes into business for himself and starts ringing the bell, thinking there's been a disqualification. Thankfully the Vegas crowd ignores it and still pops like mad for the elbow and the three-count. Hogan tries to steal the glory, Vegas boos him like crazy, and Savage tells him he'll only give him a title shot when the committee makes him number one contender, and calls him "friend" in an amazingly sarcastic manner. Even when they're "getting along" that pair never really got along, did they?

 

** In an ad for WCW Magazine, a shot of the crowd shows someone clearly waving a WWF plush Hulkster with WWF belt around his waist. Poor.

 

** 24 hours before the infamous "Bobby Heenan says fuck" match, the Brain is talking about Arn trying to reign in Pillman's wild side, describes him as a little "off kilter" and says that Arn should just let him go. Pillman's selling is erratic in the match (with Dean Malenko) going limp off a suplex so Dean has problems lifting him, then ignoring a series of stomps in the corner. It's almost as if Pillman is trying to be unco-operative. The finish is utter nonsense as Malenko gets his foot tied between the ropes in clear view of Nick Patrick, Pillman jumps on top, Patrick counts anyway.

 

** Splendid spot in the Luger/Sting v Harlem Heat match where Sting applies the Deathlock on Stevie, but the second he turns him over Booker smashes him with an axe kick. Stevie balances things out by applying the worst rest hold of all, the trapezius nerve hold, with Sting lying flat motionless face down on the mat. Both guys are literally doing nothing. Sting doesn't even have to sell with his face because we can't see it.

 

 

On-going feature #1 :

 

Head to head comparison (and my opinion on which was the better show, having seen each and every one) :

 

01/01 Raw - Raw Bowl (Gunns v Owen/Yoko v Razor/Savio v Sid/Kid), replay of Hog Pen Match from In Your House (because everyone wanted to see that again!), Diesel v Mo 8-second squash. Nitro - Savage v Arn Anderson, Benoit v Regal, Sting & Luger v Super Assassins, Flair v Hogan World title match. 1-0 Nitro.

 

08/01 Raw - Jarrett v Hakushi, Ahmed squash, Goldust v Aldo Montoya, replay of Bret v Bulldog from In Your House (cheating bastards! I'm not counting that). Nitro - Benoit v Alex Wright, Eddy v Regal, Sting v DDP, Hogan & Savage v Flair & Arn. 2-0 Nitro.

 

15/01 Raw - Owen v Marty Jannetty, Ringmaster debut squash (Matt Hardy lol), Gunns squash, Taker v Yankem. Nitro - Savage v Luger, Public Enemy v Males, Flair v Sting World title match, Hogan v Meng. 3-0 Nitro.

 

22/01 Raw - Vader v Savio (Vader promptly suspended), Razor v Hunter, Bret v Goldust. Nitro - Flair v Savage World title change, Pillman v Malenko, Harlem Heat v Sting & Luger Tag title change, Hogan v One Man Gang. 4-0 Nitro (just).

 

On-going feature #2 :

Towns in which babyface Hogan gets booed

Atlanta, Las Vegas.

[PowerButchi]

Are we at Lex Luger being the most awesome character in wrestling yet by that point? Sexy lexy is such an awesome stoogy cunt, so I really look forward to him mugging at fans and being a heel on "friend! wrestlers until Sting turns around and sees him being the world's nicest guy.

 

Fuck, I love Lex Luger. Super underrated.

 

Also, look forward to Double A doing what no-one else could twice in February on Nitro. You might want to do Saturday Nights at the same time though as nitro wasn't in it's swing yet.

 

Also (pedant) Bockwinkel wasn't head of the championship committee, he was the commissioner, yet never on TV anymore. Which is a real same, as Bock was a hell of a promo.

[air_raid]

I think Nicky shows up to suspend Bischoff at some point waaaaay ahead of where I am now.

 

Are we at Lex Luger being the most awesome character in wrestling yet by that point?

 

Just. He's been a fairly normal heel most of the time, but they just won the tag belts. Sting, exhausted, tags Luger in. Lex punches Booker once, his fistful of silver dollars (given to him by Jimmy Hart) goes flying, 1-2-3. Luger celebrates like mental and gives a belt to Sting. The Stinger looks confused to fuck about how quickly Luger was able to win, and Flex just shouts "We WON!! I told you we could do it!" and eventually Sting cracks a smile and celebrates too.

 

It's funny shit watching Hogan and Savage tell Sting they can't trust Luger and never could, given that they both end up joining the order and Lex never. Well, he did, but only the red n black offshoot which was more about being mates and making bunny ears with your fingers and generally a "No Hogans" treehouse club rather than a "hostile takeover." That's fine. It was so fine, Stinger joined them. I think his job was to remember to bring the Mountain Dew and Pogs.

[PowerButchi]

I think you're a month or two away from his greatest performance as a funny as fuck "babyface". Him and Sting vs The American Males. Luger threatening to slap crowd members walking down the aisle until Sting looks at him then Luger puts on a missive grin and high fives them all.

 

Bock didn't suspend Bischoff. It was the Time Warner higher up. Not Brad Siegel, his predecessor.

 

EDIT: It was Harvey Schiller.

[air_raid]

Yeah, that Males match is on the same show as Flair/Giant that TNT over here aired for no apparent reason over Christmas in '98. I want to say the date is April 22nd, but that could be wrong. I'll probably check it and find out the 22nd was a Thursday or something. The flipside to Luger's awesomeness is Bagwell - as Sting has Riggs covered with a crossbody, Bagwell has chance to break up the pin but doesn't, because Sting's his mate. IT'S THE TAG TEAM TITLES, you fucking weapon!

 

Getting ahead of myself, obviously.

 

EDIT - it was March 25th. April 22nd is the one where Giant actually takes the belt from Flair.

 

EDIT: It was Harvey Schiller.

 

Yeah, happy Harvey. Looking barely even different on the "Rise And Fall" DVD than he did in '97.

[wandshogun09]

I might be wrong but I'm pretty sure that Nitro with Flair/Giant and Sting & Luger/Males was the first Nitro we got over here on TNT.

 

I loved Luger's sneaky two-faced antics during that time as well. Threatening to backhand fans when Sting's back was turned, yet as soon as he turned round, Lex was high fiving and ruffling kids' hair with a big fuck off grin on his face. Clearly it was all heading for a Luger heel turn, I wonder how that would have all played out. Obviously it was all abandoned when the NWO thing took off.

 

** The Bret vs Austin match has had a whole lot written about it already..... but here's some more.

 

...

 

Bret says rather unfairly in his book that he thinks JR and Vince were trying to subtly tear him down with the mentions of ring rust but I thought that added a note of realism. Would you expect a man to come back and immediately be his old self, keeping up with a younger guy who had been working a hectic schedule? No chance.

 

Yeah, I never understood why that bothered Bret so much. If anything, the fact they were saying he was rusty yet he still beat Austin puts him over even more in a way, doesn't it? Plus Bret has often talked about wrestling needing realism. In any situation like that, be it boxing/MMA or whatever, a guy coming back after a long time on the shelf to fight a younger opponent who's been on a tear, of course there would be talk about possible rust.

 

It really was a fantastic match. Perfect comeback match for Bret, made Austin look stronger in defeat and set the stage for rematches down the line. That Survivor Series fell in the short period where the PPVs weren't on live over here. I think it was shown the following Tuesday or Wednesday or something, complete with ad breaks during the matches which was annoying. They even edited out the outside the ring brawling in Bret/Austin if I recall right. I actually didn't see the full, unedited version until about two or three years later when I saw the video in Woolies.

 

Sid marches out to interrupt (Albany chants SID! SID!) and now the seeds are truly planted for 'Mania.

 

Sid : "There's a lot being said out here, but I have played the game with you, and I have played the game with you, and you both have lost, and you're talking about MY TITLE! What I want.... what I want... is some real, some REAL competition!!!"

 

GONG.

 

Taker comes out.... but we'll never know what was going to happen because Vader attacks Taker from behind, then Michaels crotches a watching Bret with the middle rope and dives on Sid. They are separated by refs, Tony Garea, Rene Goulet, Gerry Brisco and Pat Patterson wearing a festive jumper that's just precious. All in all, superb bit of wrestling TV.

 

There were a few of these type of segments in late 96-early 97. Loved them. Pretty much all the top guys at the time seemed so linked and intertwined in the storylines at that point and I really didn't know who was going to end up fighting who at WrestleMania 13. I guess even Vince didn't for a while there either.

 

There was one segment like this which I loved. It was right at the start of 1997 and there was Vince McMahon (in one of his blue suits) trying to keep order while Bret and Shawn were in the ring slagging each other off. Someone else came out (I think Sid but maybe Taker). Then while all the chaos was going on, Austin strolled out, stopped at the top of the aisle and looked at the ring with Bret, Shawn and Sid standing there, and Vince in his blue suit. And said something like "I should come down there and whip all your asses right now, but I know an ambush when I see it. I look in that ring right now, and I see three crybabies and little boy blue." Austin really was on fire back then. In the ring and on the mic and looking back you could see him really getting comfortable with the Stone Cold character towards the end of 96. The Bret feud couldn't have came at a better time for him. Fucking his knee up right before WrestleMania 13 was a really shitty piece of timing though.

[300]

Air Raid are you streaming all these episodes or do you have them on tape?

[air_raid]

Air Raid are you streaming all these episodes or do you have them on tape?

 

DVD copies bought from traders, virtually all of which I find in the Classifieds section.

 

There was one segment like this which I loved. It was right at the start of 1997 and there was Vince McMahon (in one of his blue suits) trying to keep order while Bret and Shawn were in the ring slagging each other off. Someone else came out (I think Sid but maybe Taker).

 

The segment you refer to is from the January 27th Raw, talking to Shawn about the Sid match at Thursday Raw Thursday and Bret being in the Final Four. Bret even offers to watch Shawn's back because he wants Shawn for the belt at Mania. It is indeed Taker that comes down. Then Austin. Then Vader.

 

Marvelous little segment left off the relevant Best of Raw tape (January and February) by the Coliseum lackwits because in their infinite wisdom they decided that the Hitman "quitting" angle and Austin v Taker from the night after the Rumble was all we needed to see from January. Dickheads. They also omitted the Hitman/Vader match, although that was commercially available on Bret's "Pink & Black Attack" tape.

[garynysmon]

I've cheated a bit and started watching Nitro from June/July 96 and when the nWo started mucking about and taking over shows. But following Air Raid's brilliant recap, I may have to go back and revisit earlier on in the year.

[air_raid]

Incidentally Butch, PS looks like it'll be good this month as it has a dose of Luger. I might transcribe the interview if I get a minute.

 

 

They cover his career, injury, and book.